Diversity of Small Towns
Final Project: Race and your Community
HEATHER KYZER
ETH 125- Cultural Diversity
June Sunday 19, 2011
LaToria Brent
Final Project: Race and your Community
I am from a small Bible belt town called Reform. Reform was named after a preacher refused to return until the townspeople reformed their ways (Ashcraft, 2011). I lived in this town from the time my mom brought me home from the hospital until I graduated high school and went to college. Reform is a town that history forgot about. Reform is still segregated meaning the white people live on one side of the street and black people live on the other side. Everyone looks different, because all people look different. I will say one thing that when grouped together the white people look the same and the black people look the same. The best way to describe Reform is picture the town from the movie “Fried Green Tomatoes” where the whistle-stop café was located.
As of July 2009 population was 1759 which is down 11.6% since 2000. It is made up of 58.3% being white and 41.7% black (wikipedia). I remember as long as I lived there the black people had their places and the whites had their places to go and do things. When I was a teenager we would all go to the “pit” which was an old rock pit. We go up there and hang out and have a good time. I never really knew of any of the black kid’s hangouts. When growing up in this town you were raised not to mix. I knew that if I was caught in a vehicle or in some close presence with a black person my dad would go insane. He is a German head strong man. It was just not kosher in Reform for race mixing. Reform did not offer a whole lot for entertainment for anyone. I remember on weekend and during the summer swimming, roller blading, playing pool in the basement of a friend’s house, walking in the woods, and just sitting under my grandmother’s mamosa tree in her backyard. I will say that I did get my love for taking photographs here in Reform. Reform is full
HEATHER KYZER
ETH 125- Cultural Diversity
June Sunday 19, 2011
LaToria Brent
Final Project: Race and your Community
I am from a small Bible belt town called Reform. Reform was named after a preacher refused to return until the townspeople reformed their ways (Ashcraft, 2011). I lived in this town from the time my mom brought me home from the hospital until I graduated high school and went to college. Reform is a town that history forgot about. Reform is still segregated meaning the white people live on one side of the street and black people live on the other side. Everyone looks different, because all people look different. I will say one thing that when grouped together the white people look the same and the black people look the same. The best way to describe Reform is picture the town from the movie “Fried Green Tomatoes” where the whistle-stop café was located.
As of July 2009 population was 1759 which is down 11.6% since 2000. It is made up of 58.3% being white and 41.7% black (wikipedia). I remember as long as I lived there the black people had their places and the whites had their places to go and do things. When I was a teenager we would all go to the “pit” which was an old rock pit. We go up there and hang out and have a good time. I never really knew of any of the black kid’s hangouts. When growing up in this town you were raised not to mix. I knew that if I was caught in a vehicle or in some close presence with a black person my dad would go insane. He is a German head strong man. It was just not kosher in Reform for race mixing. Reform did not offer a whole lot for entertainment for anyone. I remember on weekend and during the summer swimming, roller blading, playing pool in the basement of a friend’s house, walking in the woods, and just sitting under my grandmother’s mamosa tree in her backyard. I will say that I did get my love for taking photographs here in Reform. Reform is full
Bibliography: Ashcraft, ". (2011, May 31). ex-mayor. (H. Kyzer, Interviewer) committee, f. (2010). 2009 yearly quota. Reform: Nacy Keasler. Jefferson, J. (2011, June 3). law enforcement. (H. Kyzer, Interviewer) wikipedia. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2011, from http://en.wikipediaorg/wiki/Reform._Alabama